Escape hatch: a small door for escaping from a ship, aircraft, or submarine in an emergency

Escutcheon part of ship’s stern where name is displayed

Fairlead: ring through which rope is led to change its direction without friction

Fardage: wood placed in bottom of ship to keep cargo dry

Fender: a piece of rope or a tire that protects the side of a boat from knocks

Fiddley: iron framework around hatchway opening

Figurehead: a wooden model of a person attached to the front of an old-fashioned ship

Flagstaff: flag pole at stern of a ship

Flight deck: the open area on a large ship where aircraft can take off and land

Fluke: part of an anchor that fastens in the ground

Forebitt: post for fastening cables at a ship’s foremast

Forecabin: cabin in fore part of ship

Forecastle (fo’c’sle): the front part of a ship, under the main deck

Forefoot: foremost end of ship’s keel

Foremast: mast nearest the bow of a ship

Foresail: lowest sail set on the foremast of square-rigged ship

Forestay: stay leading from the foremast to the bow of a ship

Frap: to draw a sail tight with ropes or cables

Freeboard: distance between waterline and main deck of a ship

Funnel (smokestack): a tube that lets out smoke and steam from the engine of a boat or old-fashioned train

Futtock: rib of a ship

Gaff: spar on which head of fore-and-aft sail is extended

Gaff-topsail: triangular topsail with its foot extended upon the gaff

Galley: the kitchen on a boat or airplane

Gangplank: a long narrow board that you put between a boat and the land, or between two boats, so that you can walk across

Gangway: a flat board or metal structure that can be put in place between a ship and land to let people get off or on the ship

Garboard: plank on a ship’s bottom next to the keel

Genoa: large jib that overlaps the mainsail

Grapnel: small anchor used for dragging or grappling

Groundage: a charge on a ship in port

Gudgeon: metal socket into which the pintle of a boat’s rudder fits

Gunnage: number of guns carried on a warship

Gunwale (singular gunnel): the upper edge of the side of a boat or ship

Gybe: to swing a sail from one side to another

Halyard: rope or tackle for hoisting and lowering sails

Hank: series of rings or clips for attaching a jib or staysail to a stay

Hawse: distance between ship’s bow and its anchor

Hawsehole: hole for ship’s cable

Hawser: large rope for mooring or towing a ship

Headsail: sail set forward of the foremast of a ship

Helm: a wheel or handle used for making a boat go in the direction you want

Hold: the area in an airplane or ship that is used for goods, vehicles, or suitcases

Holystone: sandstone material used to scrape ships’ decks

Hull: the part of a ship or boat that floats on the water.

Hydrofoil: one of the wing-shaped pieces attached to the bottom of a hydrofoil

Inboard: inside the line of a ship’s bulwarks or hull

Jack: ship’s flag flown from jack-staff at bow of vessel

Jack-block: pulley system for raising topgallant masts

Jack-cross-tree: single iron cross-tree at head of a topgallant mast

Jackstaff: short staff at ship’s bow from which the jack is hoisted

Jackstay: iron or wooden bar running along yard of ship to which sails fastened

Jackyard: spar used to spread the foot of a gaff-topsail

Jib: small triangular sail extending from the head of the foremast

Jibboom: spar forming an extension of the bowsprit

Jibe: to change a ship’s course to make the boom shift sides

Jurymast: mast erected on ship in place of one lost

Kedge: small anchor to keep a ship steady

Keel: a long thin piece of wood or metal along the bottom of a boat that helps it to balance in the water

Keelhaul: to punish by dragging under keel of ship

Keelson: lengthwise wooden or steel beam in ship for bearing stress

Kentledge: pig-iron used as ballast in ship’s hold

Lagan: cargo jettisoned from ship but marked by buoys for recovery

Lanyard: a short rope used on ships for fastening things such as the sails

Lastage: room for stowing goods in a ship

Lateen: triangular sail rigged on ship’s spar

Laveer: to sail against the wind

Lazaret: space in ship between decks used for storage

Leeboard: wood or metal planes attached to hull to prevent leeway

Leech: a vertical edge of a square sail

Loxodograph: device used to record ship’s travels

Luff: windward side of a ship; forward edge of fore-and-aft sail

Lugsail: four-sided sail bent to an obliquely hanging yard

Lutchet: fitting on ship’s deck to allow mast to pivot to pass under bridges

Mainmast: sailing ship’s principal mast

Mainsail: principal sail on a ship’s mainmast

Mainsheet: rope by which mainsail is trimmed and secured

Mainstay: stay that extends from the main-top to the foot of the foremast

Manrope: rope used as a handrail on a ship

Martingale: lower stay of rope used to sustain strain of the forestays

Mast: a tall pole that the sails hang from on a ship. The masthead is the top of the mast

Mizzen: the mast that holds the mizzen sail or the sail behind the main sail on a ship

Mizzenmast: mast aft or next aft of the mainmast in a ship

Moonraker: topmost sail of a ship, above the skyscraper

Muster: station a place, especially on a ship, where people should gather if there is an emergency

Oakum: old ropes untwisted for caulking the seams of ships

Oarlock: American the piece of metal that holds the oar of a boat

Orlop: lowest deck in a ship having four or more decks

Outhaul: rope used to haul a sail taut along a spar

Outrigger: spar extended from side of ship to help secure mast and helps it to float

Paddle: one of the long flat boards that are joined together in the shape of a wheel, used for moving a paddle boat through the water

Painter: a rope attached to the front of a boat and used for tying it to something such as a post

Pallograph: instrument measuring ship’s vibration

Parrel: band by which a yard is fastened to a mast

Patroon: captain of a ship; coxswain of a longboat

Poop: the higher part at the back of an old sailing ship

Port (larboard): when facing forward, the left side of a ship

Porthole (scuttles): a small window in the side of a ship or airplane

Primage: fee paid to loaders for loading ship

Promenade: deck the upper area of a ship where people walk for pleasure

Propeller: a piece of equipment with blades that spin, used for moving a ship or aircraft

Prow: the front of a ship or boat

Purser: ship’s officer in charge of finances and passengers

Quarterdeck: part of ship’s deck set aside by captain for ceremonial functions OR the back part of a ship’s upper deck, where the officers often live

Quartering: sailing nearly before the wind

Rake: the inclination of a mast or another part of a ship

Ratline: small rope forming a rung of a rope ladder on a ship

Reef: to reduce area of a sail by rolling or folding part of it

Reeve: to pass a rope through a ring

Rigging: the ropes and chains used for supporting a ship’s sails and masts

Roach: curved cut in edge of sail for preventing chafing

Roband: piece of yarn used to fasten a sail to a spar

Rostrum: spike on prow of warship for ramming

Rowlock: contrivance serving as a fulcrum for an oar

Royal: small sail on royal mast just above topgallant sail

Rudder: a flat piece of wood or other material at the back of a boat or airplane that is moved to change the direction of travel

Sail: a large piece of strong cloth attached to a tall pole on a boat, used for catching wind to move the boat across water

Saloon: a big room on a ship where passengers can sit together and talk, play games, etc.

Scud: to sail swiftly before a gale

Scupper: hole allowing water to drain from ship’s deck

Scuttlebutt: cask of drinking water aboard a ship; rumor, idle gossip

Sheer: fore-and-aft curvature of a ship from bow to stern

Sheet: on a sailboat, the rope that is used for controlling the sail

Shrouds: ropes supporting the mast of a ship

Sickbay: a room where sick people go to rest and get medical treatment on a ship

Side: the edge of a boat

Sidelight: colored lights on side of a ship under way at night

Skeg: part of ship connecting the keel with the bottom of the rudderpost

Skysail: sail above the royal sail

Skyscraper: triangular sail on a ship above the royal

Slipway: ramp sloping into water for supporting a ship

Snotty: naval midshipman

Spanker: sail on the mast nearest the stern of a square-rigged ship

Spar: any ship’s mast, boom, yard, or gaff

Spinnaker: an extra sail sometimes put on the front of a boat used for racing OR a large triangular sail opposite the mainsail

Spirketting: inside planking between ports and waterways of a ship

Sponson: platform jutting from ship’s deck for gun or wheel

Sprit: spar crossing a fore-and-aft sail diagonally

Spritsail: sail extended by a sprit

Starboard when facing forward, the right side of a ship

Starbolins: sailors of the starboard watch

Stay: large rope used to support a mast

Staysail: fore-and-aft sail hoisted on a stay

Steerage: the part of a passenger ship in which people who had the most inexpensive tickets traveled

Steeve: to set a ship’s bowsprit at an upward inclination

Stemson: supporting timber of a ship

Stern: back part of a ship

Sternpost: main member at stern of a ship extending from keel to deck

Sternway: movement of a ship backwards

Stevedore: dock worker who loads and unloads ships

Stokehold: ship’s furnace chamber

Stowage: space for storing things in a boat or vehicle

Strake: continuous band of plates on side of a ship

Stunsail: light auxiliary sail to the side of principal sails

Sun deck: an open area on a ship where you can enjoy the sun

Supercargo: ship’s official in charge of business affairs

Superstructure: the part of a ship that is above the main deck

Taffrail: rail round the stern of a ship

Thole: pin in the side of a boat to keep oar in place

Thwart: a seat across the middle of a rowboat

Tiller: handle or lever for turning a ship’s rudder

Timberhead: top end of ship’s timber used above the gunwale

Timenoguy: rope stretched from place to place in a ship

Topgallant: mast or sail above the topmast and below the royal mast

Topmast: ship’s mast above the lower mast

Topsail: ship’s sail above the lowermost sail

Topside: on or relating to the deck of a ship

Transship: to transfer from one ship to another

Transire: ship’s customs warrant for clearing goods

Transom: transverse timbers attached to ship’s sternpost

Treenail: long wooden pin used to fix planks of ship to the timbers

Trice: to haul in and lash secure a sail with a small rope

Trunnel: wooden shipbuilding peg used for fastening timbers

Trysail: ship’s sail bent to a gaff and hoisted on a lower mast

Tuck: part of ship where ends of lower planks meet under the stern

Turret: a high part on a military ship or vehicle where guns are attached. You can turn it in order to shoot the guns in any direction.

Turtleback: structure over ship’s bows or stern

Unreeve: to withdraw a rope from an opening

Waist: the central part of a ship or an airplane

Walty: inclined to tip over or lean

Wardroom: a room on a warship used by all the officers except for the captain

Washboard: broad thin plank along ship’s gunwale to keep out sea water

Watching: fully afloat

Waterline: the highest point where water touches the side of a boat

Waveson: goods floating on the sea after a shipwreck

Wear: to turn a ship’s stern to windward to alter its course

Weatherboard: weather side of a ship

Weatherly: able to sail close to the wind with little leeway

Wheelhouse: a small room on a boat where the wheel and other controls are

Whipstaff: vertical lever controlling ship’s rudder

Windbound: hindered from sailing by contrary winds

Windlass: winch used to raise a ship’s anchor

Yard: tapering spar attached to ship’s mast to spread the head of a square sail

Yardarm: either end of the yard of a square-rigged ship

Ship Template

Name of Ship: What the ship’s name is.Type of ship: See here for a list of types of ships.Size of Ship: the ship’s dimensions, if other than standard for its type.Crew: Number of crew on board, and positions.Crew Racial Makeup: What races are aboard the ship, if applicable.Armor: the defensive capabilities of the ship, if applicable.Armory: the offensive capabilities of the ship, i.e. what types of canons the ship holds and the sizes, if applicable.Cargo: What the ship’s carrying, if applicable.Propulsion: how it gets around: e.g. wind, steam, magic, oars, etc.Maneuverability: how easily it gets around.

Blank Ship Template

Name of Ship:Type of ship:Size of Ship:Crew:Crew Racial Makeup:Armor:Armory:Cargo:Propulsion:Maneuverability:

D30 Ship-based / Water Hazards

Calm weather: the ship can’t go anywhere because there’s not a breeze to catch the sails

Lack of visibility: If you can’t see where you’re going, the ship can run aground, or you can get lost.

Hot metal: The sun beating down on metal objects can cause them to become too hot to handle.

Scurvy: caused by lack of nutrients. Causes teeth to fall out

Airy Water: This is an area of air that is filled with bubbles that allow things that are able to breathe water are able to survive in. Most fish will avoid these areas.

Slippery Surfaces: The surface of a deck. This includes such things as the ropes, wood and metal surfaces

Coral Scratch: Injuries from coral don’t heal normally, and must be healed either magically or takes .

Sunburn: The characters are exposed to sunlight for many hours may get burned by the sun

Seasickness: The characters get ill due to the motion of the sea

Poisonous marine life: catching and eating this marine life is bad for characters, causes them to be poisoned

No sea legs: The character is unsteady on his/her feet on a boat

Boiling Water: Underwater volcanic vents boil water in the vicinity where they form.

Venomous marine life: contact with this marine life is similar to the sting of an insect.

Airless Water: an area of water that is devoid of air, a dead zone, devoid of fish.

Lost Islands: places that don’t show up on the maps. What’s on these lost islands, or why they’re there is up to the DMs.

Whirlpool: a body of swirling water produced by the meeting of opposing currents.

Inability to swim: the character either naturally has no ability to swim or has lost it for some reason (think the Devil Fruit users in One Piece)

Other Ships Attack: Another ship attacks the ship the characters are on

Man Overboard: A person gets swept or falls overboard for some reason

Violentseas: the ship is being tossed about by bad weather / choppy seas. This includes such hazards as waterspouts.

Monsterattack: a giant squid, shark, or other monster attacks the ship

Underwatercaves: a water filled cave must be navigated by the ship (or by an underwater expedition team)

Depth: the water is too deep to dive, either by the ship or characters. Even with rebreathers and SCUBA gear, characters can suffer “the bends”

Drowning: not being able to breathe underwater or having magics that allow one to do so expire

Hypothermia: characters get bad effects from swimming/ being exposed to cold weather/ water

Currents: boats can be swept away by strong currents

Fire: a fire breaks out on the ship and those aboard need to find out how to put it out (if it *can* be put out)

Radiation: the ship is nuclear and has a radiation leak

Shipwreck: the ship sinks and those aboard need to get off it

Defiling Sludge: This sludge is a potential hazard games where all sorts of evil runs amuck. It is the remnants of vile magic that have flowed into the sea. Momentary contact with it weakens an object and continuous contact with it quickly dissolves it. It is corrosive to the flesh. The sludge can’t be easily destroyed, only driven away with such things as crystal and jade. This is the stuff that shows up in “The Pirates of Dark Water.”

Now you have some vocabulary, a template to use your ships, and some ship and water based hazards, you’ll be more equipped to send your player characters on a voyage to use ships as a dungeon.

If you want to read more articles like this, check out my blog at http://fantasyroleplayingplanes.blogspot.com/.
If you want to read my some more of my articles not posted on my blog, they can be found on Johnn Four’s roleplaying tips website at roleplayingtips.com. I also am published at http://stuffershack.com/